Works Cited Page

Formatting Basics

  • Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your paper. It should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper.
  • Label the page Works Cited and center this label at the top of the page.
  • The citation entries themselves should be aligned with the left margin.
  • Double space all citations. Do not skip spaces between entries.
  • Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent.

Content Basics

  • The core elements of most citations are the author, title, and publication date. Many works are contained in larger works such as articles in journals that are themselves contained within databases. The citation must include each container of the work you are citing.
  • List page numbers when available.   
  • For online sources, include a location to show readers where you found the source. Many scholarly databases use a DOI (digital object identifier). Use a DOI in your citation if you can; otherwise use a URL. Omit “http://” from URLs. The DOI or URL is usually the last element in a citation and should be followed by a period.

Author/Authors

Type of citation Works Cited example
One author Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1987.
Two authors Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Allyn and Bacon, 2000.
Three or more authors Franck, Caroline, et al. “Agricultural Subsidies and the American Obesity Epidemic.” American Journal of Preventative Medicine, vol. 45, no. 3, Sept. 2013, pp. 327-333. ScienceDirect, doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2013.04.010.
Organization/Group author American Allergy Association. Allergies in Children. Random House, 1998.
Unknown author "The Impact of Global Warming in North America." Global Warming: Early Signs. 1999. www.climatehotmap.org/. Accessed 23 Mar. 2009.